Antimony ore and photovoltaic energy storage

Is antimony the future of energy storage and photovoltaic technology?

The demand for antimony in photovoltaic and energy storage fields will increase significantly with clean energy technology development. The explosive development of solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage systems (ESSs) in recent years endows the antimony (Sb) with a new role in the renewable era (Li et al., 2021; Simpson et al., 2021 ).

Is antimony a critical metal for the energy transition?

Energy Res., 26 September 2022 Antimony is a type of critical metal for the energy transition. The antimony industry chain is distributed among the major developed and developing countries around the world. With the development of clean energy technology, the demand for antimony in photovoltaic and energy storage fields will increase significantly.

Will antimony be needed before 2050?

The explosive development of solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage systems (ESSs) in recent years endows the antimony (Sb) with a new role in the renewable era (Li et al., 2021; Simpson et al., 2021 ). Considering the extensive applications in solar PV and ESSs, more antimony will be needed before 2050.

How is antimony recovered from ores or concentrates?

Antimony has been recovered from its ores or concentrates by pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical treatment techniques. Beside these two processes, bio-hydrometallurgical process has been attempted in order to compete or replace the existing processes; however, most of works reported are at the lab scale.

Are antimony ores a problem?

Nevertheless, the global supply of antimony ores faces problems of severe shortage and highly concentrated mining from a mid-to-long-term perspective ( Henckens et al., 2014; Patiño Douce, 2016). Most countries must obtain antimony ores through international trade for the uneven geographical distribution of antimony ores.

Is antimony used in stibnite ore processing?

Antimony usage is gaining importance in several emerging technologies. Current technological and market trends of antimony are presented. Extractive metallurgy for Stibnite ore processing is comprehensively discussed. Antimony purification and recovery processes and their challenges are reviewed.